


watermelon

by ketchup (moonlikeyou)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Crack, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, mark is like 5 please dont take things seriously, mark x watermelon is the real ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 09:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15637593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlikeyou/pseuds/ketchup
Summary: mark eats watermelon seeds to impress his crush donghyuck





	watermelon

Mark likes watermelons. Watermelon is his favourite fruit, without any doubt- he loves the watery taste, the pretty red flesh of the melon, and especially how Mum fills up the hollowed watermelon skin with sprite and milk and ice and a bunch of other fruits.

 

Korean watermelon punch is the best dessert ever, way tastier than even ice cream, in Mark’s opinion. (Which must be right, since Mark just turned 5 years old in August, and Dad says he’s a big boy now, so he’s definitely right.)

 

Mark likes Donghyuck too. Donghyuck’s a little boy in Mark’s class, with round eyes and heart-shaped lips and very squishy cheeks. Very squishy cheeks that Mark isn’t allowed to touch, as he was told by Mr. Doyoung. “Donghyuckie doesn’t want to be touched,” Mr. Doyoung had said, as Donghyuck cried in Mr. Taeyong’s arms. “So we don’t touch without asking first, okay?”

 

Mark doesn’t understand, but that’s fine because he has his best friend Renjun, who lets him touch his favourite Moomin plushie when he’s feeling particularly generous.

 

School is just okay, Mark reckons. He doesn’t like class much, the numbers make his head spin and he’s not the best at spelling, but he likes play time, where they get to frolic in the giant bouncy castle freely until it’s time for lunch.

 

Lunch can be yucky at times, when Mark doesn’t bring his own lunch and Mr. Doyoung cooks instead of Mr. Taeyong, but after lunch there’s nap time -sometimes Mark manages to snatch a spot near Donghyuck-, and after napping there’s show-and-tell.

 

Show-and-tell is always interesting, and today is no exception. Jeno smiles proudly as he shows the class pictures of his new kittens, and Mr, Doyoung claps politely when he finishes telling the class their names- Bongshik, Seol and Nal.

 

“How do you care for your kittens, Jeno-ah?” Mr. Doyoung asks, and Jeno blanks for a moment, fiddling with his pictures. “I- I pet them, and brush them!” Jeno eventually says, puffing out his chest as Mr. Taeyong shoots him a thumbs up,”You sound like a mother to your kittens, Jeno! What do we say about that, class?”

 

“I think it’s cool!” Jeno’s best friend, Jaemin (Mark’s friend too, when they’re not on opposite teams in tag) shouts immediately, and Mark watches Jeno’s face light up. “Jeno is so cool!” Donghyuck says loudly, and Mark’s own compliment lodges in his throat all of a sudden.

 

Did Donghyuck like Jeno because he was like a mum to his kittens? Was this why Donghyuck didn’t like Mark, because he didn’t have any ‘children’ of his own?

 

Mark thinks about this until show-and-tell is over, spacing out as the other kids ramble about various topics. He needs to find something that he can be a mother to- right away.

 

\------

 

Mark comes up with something after dinner, after Mum puts Jisung, his little brother to sleep. (Mark gets to stay up for another thirty minutes, because he’s five years old now, and he needs more time for big boy activities like playing with toy trucks.)

 

“Mum?” His mother glances up from where she’s lounging on the couch, reading the newspaper,”Yes, darling, what’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” Mark sits down on the couch next to his mum, peering at the newspaper- he can’t make out most of the words on there yet, but he likes the pictures. “Could we get some cats?”

 

“Cats?” His mother gives Mark a look over her reading glasses. “I didn’t know you liked cats, honey.” “I do now,” Mark replies, feeling just a little panicky. He didn’t know he liked cats too, not before Donghyuck had expressed admiration for Jeno, who had cats.

 

“Sorry, Markie,” His mother pats Mark’s head in apology. “Jisung’s allergic to cats, remember? He sneezed a lot when we met great aunt Taeil’s cat.” Mark shivers, he remembers meeting great-aunt Taeil’s old, angry cat who’d hissed at Mark the entire visit, and its crusty whiskers makes the idea of getting cats a lot less appealing.

 

“What about puppies, mum?” Mark asks tentatively, not ready to give up yet. His mother moves her eyes away from the newspaper for a second, thinking about the idea. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Mark, Jisung’s only one, and I don’t think getting dogs would be good for a baby like him.”

 

Mark visibly deflates, and his mother gives him a small hug,”Don’t be sad, Markie. I’m sure we can get some pets when Jisung grows older, when he’s a big boy like you.” Mark shakes his head, feeling terrible.

 

He had to get pets, or just things to look after _now_ , or it would be pointless. “Why the frown, son?” Mark’s dad joins them on the couch, offering Mark a piece of watermelon. He brightens at the sight of his favourite fruit, popping a piece in his mouth quickly.

 

Mark’s mum tells his dad about everything, and he gives Mark a reassuring pat on the back as well. “It’s okay, Mark. I’ll pack some watermelon for your lunch tomorrow.” Mark nods happily at the mention of watermelon for lunch, kittens and puppies forgotten.

 

\-------

 

Mark goes to school the other day, spending the entire morning waiting for lunch. Playtime is a boring event, many of his classmates abandoning the bouncy castle in favour of listening to Jeno talking about cats.

 

“Jeno’s allergic to cats,” Jaemin tells Mark as they bounce in the unusually empty castle. “I don’t like cats that much, anyway.” They’re not on the same team in tag, but Mark decides Jaemin is his friend anyway as they complain about Jeno and his cats in the ball pit.

 

Mark actually enjoys the morning lessons for once, because Mr. Doyoung teaches them to count (up to 50!!) by using different kinds of fruit. Mark makes sure to count clearly and loudly, glancing over at Donghyuck to see if he notices, but the other boy seems more invested in chatting with Jeno- talking about his cats, probably.

 

Mark frowns, before turning back to his picture cards. He really needed to become a mother to something quick.

 

Lunch manages to cheer Mark up a little- he finds watermelon slices in his lunch box, but they still have the seeds in them. There’s a note attached from Mum: _Didn’t have time to clean out the seeds, but enjoy your lunch, love!! xoxo mummy._

 

Mark sighs, picking out the tiny black seeds with his fork, his spaghetti left untouched. Watermelon was _always_ the priority.

 

“Be sure to pick out all the seeds, Mark!” Mr. Taeyong calls cheerily as he checks on the kids. “You’ll get pregnant if you accidentally swallow one!”

 

Renjun laughs at that, his mouth full of sushi,”That’s not real!” “Oh, but it is,” Mr Taeyong waggles his eyebrows at Renjun before leaving, and Mark stares at his lunchbox, deep in thought.

 

Would swallowing watermelon seeds make Mark pregnant with tiny watermelon babies? Watermelon babies sounded much more interesting than kittens, Mark thinks as he gives his flat tummy a quick pat. Maybe Donghyuck would finally notice him, if he was pregnant with watermelon babies.

 

Hesitantly, Mark scoops a few seeds into his mouth, careful not to be seen by Renjun. They taste odd in his mouth, but Mark manages to swallow them. He makes his way through all the watermelon in his lunch box with some satisfaction- maybe this will work.

 

\-----

 

The first thing Mark does when he wakes up the other morning is check his belly. It remains flat, much to his disappointment, unlike his mother’s round belly when he was pregnant with Jisung.

 

He isn’t about to give up though -it’s only been one day, and Mark’s willing to do much more for Donghyuck’s attention.

 

“Mum?” Mark tiptoes next to his mother in the kitchen, where she’s preparing his lunchbox. “Can you leave the watermelon seeds in? I want to keep them for later-” “Oh, do you want to pick them out yourself?” Mark’s mother asks, and Mark nods, feeling slightly guilty for fibbing.

 

“That’s great, sweetie,” Mark’s mother gives him a soft kiss on the top of his head. “You’re learning how to take care of yourself!” Mark thinks he’s learning how to take care of himself AND his future watermelon babies, but he keeps his mouth shut, watching his mother put watermelon into his lunch box with their beautiful black seeds attached.

 

His plan was working perfectly.

 

The day passes by without anything significant, and Mark takes out his watermelon in a flash once Mr. Doyoung announces that it’s lunchtime. He gobbles up his watermelon (and the seeds, of course!) excitedly, barely sparing his egg mayo sandwich a glance.

 

There’s more than 50 seeds in his lunchbox (he’s counted), but Mark doesn’t feel any different after eating them. He’s disappointed, so disappointed that Jaemin takes pity on him and shares some of his peanut m&ms with him at recess.

 

“I get it,” Jaemin pats Mark on the shoulder. “Jeno keeps talking to Donghyuck about his cats.” Mark nods, strangely upset as Jeno whispers something in Donghyuck’s ear. Maybe Donghyuck lets Jeno squishes his cheeks too, he thinks resentfully.

 

It’s not until show-and-tell when Mark starts feeling his stomach hurt. He keeps it low for a while, wanting his watermelon babies to be a surprise, but the pain only gets worse as time trickles by.  It feels like someone’s stabbing him in the stomach over and over, and Mark really wants to throw up.

 

Mr. Taeyong notices it right away,”Mark, are you feeling okay?” Most of his classmates turn around to stare, including Donghyuck who’s directly in front of him, and Mark feels his stomach lurch. “I-” Mark starts to explain how he’s pregnant with watermelons, but he feels so sick that he throws up immediately.

 

Mark vomits all over the ground, staining the carpet with half-digested food and watermelon seeds, so many of them, glaring at Mark with their tiny black bodies. He clutches his stomach, wanting to explain himself, but all that comes out is a strangled moan.

 

“Gross,” Donghyuck declares as everyone stares at Mark in a horrified silence, and Mark feels like passing out.

 

\------

 

Mr. Taeyong get things cleaned up in no time, and Mark’s dad comes to the kindergarten to pick Mark up after Mr. Doyoung phones him. “He ate a lot of watermelon seeds, but I doubt that’s why he threw up,” he explains as Mark shivers in the corner of the sick room, feeling sad and embarrassed.

 

“What did you eat, Mark?” Mark’s dad asks, and Mark frowns, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. “Watermelon, egg mayo sandwich.... and peanut m&ms.”

 

“That’s it,” Mark’s dad exclaims, turning to Mr. Doyoung. “Mark’s allergic to peanuts, that’s probably why he threw up.-” Mark hides his face in his hands in shame, he’s a failure and he won’t have any watermelon babies, ever.

 

Mr. Doyoung and Mark’s dad chat for a bit more, talking about Mark’s peanut allergy before he’s allowed to leave. Mark sulks in his dad’s car, staring outside the window in his borrowed school uniform. He can’t even stretch out comfortably, since Jisung’s baby booster and a bunch of groceries take up most of the space.

 

A bunch of birds fly pass outside, just as Mark notices a carton of eggs in the backseat.

 

He sits up a little straighter- would Donghyuck be impressed with some freshly hatched baby chicks?

**Author's Note:**

> (if you want to know what happens next, read my brother's hot cross bottom by jeremy strong)  
> ok this was a mess but it was fun to write gfhthgf mark lee if you're reading this i love you even though i wrote about u wanted to get pregnant with watermelon uhh  
> follow me on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/moonlikeurs/)  
> if you want to watch me scream about mark !!  
> hope you liked it and thanks for reading!!
> 
> 20180810


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